The Gauntlet
by Blizzard96
Summary: The Celestial Spirits decide to test Lucy by putting her and her friends through the Gauntlet of the Twelve Golden Gates. If she wins, she could obtain the rest of the Gates. If she loses... T for Karkat's pottymouth and homestuck stuff in general... No pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Homestuck or Fairy Tail.**

Chapter 1: The Set Up

"That was nice~" Lucy hummed as she stepped out of her bath and wrapped a fluffy white towel around her midsection. She had just finished her job with her team and decided she deserved to relax a little. She exited the bathroom and headed straight for her closet to get redressed.

"What to wear?" she muttered, sorting through her clothing. She finally settled on a simple white and blue tank top with jean shorts and sandals. Lucy crossed back to the bathroom to fix her hair and makeup. "Perfect!" she grinned at her reflection.

She wandered back to the living room to grab the rest of her belongings and head over to her guild. Though she had already gone on a mission today, the guild was always lively enough to make her return, especially in the evenings. Lucy enjoyed just sitting at the bar and talking to either Mirajane or Levy while watching the complete chaos that was Fairy Tail. She smiled to herself as she strapped her whip to her belt.

"Just need my keys," she said to herself, heading toward her dining room table. But they weren't there. Lucy froze. She could practically hear Aquarius yelling at her for losing her key again.

"Nonononono!" she wailed. "They can't be missing again!" She looked under the table, under the couch, in her room and even checked the bath tub. Lucy turned her whole apartment upside down in her search for the keys.

After about twenty minutes of searching every viable location, she finally sank to her knees on the floor. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "This…can't be," Lucy sobbed. "I remember putting them right there on the table!"

She wasn't even worried about Aquarius' punishment anymore. She just wanted to know that her keys hadn't been stolen. 'What if they get hurt?' Lucy thought between sobs. 'Aries has already been through so much…' She thought of the sweet, soft spoken celestial spirit. She could be alone somewhere or, even worse, abused by someone.

This thought gave Lucy the resolve to stand up. 'I can't just sit around here,' she thought with determination. 'I need to find them!' She burst out of her apartment and practically flew down the streets to Fairy Tail.

~~~~~Fairy Tail~~~~~

Natsu and Gray were arguing. Now, this is not an unusual occurrence, so no one else bothered to intervene. Apparently they were playing a game of pool and were disputing over the score.

"What are you talking about? You only get five points for destroying the pool cue!"

"No, you get ten!"

"You just made that up!"

"No, I didn't! It's in the rules, stupid!"

"Who are you calling stupid, lizard breath?"

"I hope we're all getting along here." Erza strode up to the duo, glaring them down.

"O-of course we are," the boys chorused in unison, backing away from her. They almost let out a sigh of relief when the guild's door burst open, interrupting the impending lecture. Lucy ran straight towards her team mates.

"IlostmykeysandIneedhelptoget themback!" she rushed out, bent over in exhaustion from running so hard. Erza rested a hand on Lucy's back to help steady her, but she waved Erza off.

"Woah, slow down," Gray said, raising his hands. "What's wrong?" Lucy seemed to have recovered.

"I can't find my keys!" she burst out, startling her team.

"Are you sure?" Erza asked. "Where did you last have them?"

Lucy began to sob. "I put them on my dining table and then took a bath. When I returned, they were gone!" she explained in between hiccups. Erza looked thoughtful.

"And there were no signs of a break in?" she asked. Lucy shook her head.

"So, a ghost stole them?" Gray asked, utterly confused. Erza rolled her eyes.

"No, Gray. But this is a very serious matter," she stated.

"I'm really worried about them," Lucy said, wiping away her tears. "What if someone is hurting them?" Suddenly, there was a loud sound, like thunder, and a glowing magical circle appeared under the team.

"What the heck?" Natsu cried, trying and failing to escape the circle. As he attempted to punch through the invisible barrier, the circle glowed brighter. In a flash of golden light, they were transported away from the guild.

~~~~~A Chamber~~~~~

"That hurt!" Lucy groaned, sitting up and rubbing her head. She looked around. Her team mates were scattered around the room, all unconscious. "Where am I?" she murmured, examining the chamber. It was vaguely circular and completely made of stone and the ceiling was a good twenty feet over her head. The only sign of exit was a large pair of stone doors with the symbol for the zodiac sign Cancer above it. Her friends started to wake up.

"Where are we?" Erza asked, examining her surroundings. Natsu frowned, set his fist ablaze and tried to punch through the stone walls with little effect.

"This isn't good," Gray muttered, but everyone just stared at him incredulously.

"Gray, you clothes," Lucy said pointedly. Gray looked down to see only that he had somehow stripped off his shirt and pants.

"Dammit," he growled, tugging his clothes back on. "What is this place?" he asked once fully dressed.

"I'm not sure," Lucy replied. "But that is the star sign for Cancer," she added, pointing to the symbol over the doors. Erza strode over to the doors and tested them.

"They're locked," she announced.

"Yes, they are," a voice echoed around the room. The team's heads whipped around to locate the source of the noise, but saw no one else.

"Who's talking?" Natsu yelled, scanning the ceiling.

"I am the Celestial Spirit King," the booming voice announced. Lucy gasped.

"What have I done?" she yelled, worried that she might have somehow mistreated her spirits.

Even though the voice was loud, Lucy could practically hear the king smirking. "You need not worry, Old Friend. You have proven to be a kind wielder of celestial spirits. However, you own an unprecedented number of the twelve golden gate keys. We feel that we must test you so that you may prove your capability in wielding them and-" The king's voice was cut off and there was a sound of a scuffle.

"Give me the mic, you old fart!" a voice grunted.

"Loke?" Lucy gasped, recognizing it.

"Hey guys!" Loke confirmed. "Yeah, he was taking too long and I'll make it shorter. Basically, you guys have to run through a gauntlet of the twelve golden gates and complete challenges to reclaim Lucy's keys. I'm sure-" There was another scuffle.

"Yeah! Finally, my turn!" a loud voice yelled.

"Er, Scorpio?"

"That's right, baby! Anyways, if you win, you have the opportunity to get the rest of the golden gates! How sweet is that?" More scuffling. The team sweatdropped.

"Little girl!" a commanding voice boomed.

"Oh God," Lucy moaned. "Yes, Aquarius?"

"You WILL reclaim my key. Got that?"

"Yes, ma'am!" There was a loud metallic shriek as the mic was apparently dropped on the floor.

"We're counting on you, mistress," came Virgo's voice.

"Good luck, Lucy-sama," said Aries.

"Good luck, good luck!" Gemini chorused.

"You can do it, ebi!" said Cancer.

"We believe in you, moshi moshi," Sagittarius said.

"Punnnn!"

"I know you'll get through it," Capricorn said approvingly. Lucy felt tears gather in her eyes.

"Thank you, everyone!" Lucy said, wiping her eyes. There was more sounds in the background.

"Give me the mic, stupid bull!" Loke growled.

"No! I'm talking to Lucy and her wonderful udders!" Taurus snorted.

"This is my mic, brats!" The king said. Lucy felt herself sweatdrop.

"Is this what you deal with on a regular basis?" Erza asked, at a loss for once. Lucy nodded and facepalmed. There was suddenly another crackling sound.

"Okay Lucy," Loke muttered, apparently having wrested control over the mic. "You have to get through the twelve gates and you will be tested by trolls-" the mic cut out.

"Wait, Loke!" Lucy yelled. "What do you mean, trolls?" No reply came. Lucy stomped her foot in frustration.

"Well, we should get started," Erza said, ever the practical one.

"Alright!" Natsu grinned. "Time to kick some butt!" They all started towards the Cancer door.

~~~~~Rewind about one hour~~~~~

":33 *ac looks around nervously* where are we?" Nepeta asked, softly.

"1S TH1S 4 DR34M BUBBL3?" Terezi asked, looking around. She was standing seemingly in midair in the middle of a completely white space. The other trolls were all standing around her.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS THIS?" Karkat growled. "PERFECT. THIS IS JUST WHAT WE NEED. RIGHT WHEN WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR SCREWED UP SESSION, WE'RE WHISKED AWAY BY SOME UNKNOWN FUCKASS."

"Pleas Calm Down, Karkat," Kanaya soothed. "Perhaps An Answer Will Make Itself Known In Due Time."

"ShE's RiGhT," Gamzee said, looking stoned as ever. "YoU nEeD tO aLl Up AnD wAiT fOr ThE mIrAcLeS tO hApPeN." Karkat rolled his eyes.

"I CANNOT BELIEVE I GOT STUCK WITH YOU GUYS HERE."

"None of u2 are thrilled two be 2tuck wiith you eiither, KK," Sollux said.

"Now the players are gathered," A voice boomed. The trolls looked around.

"Wwhat wwas that?" Eridan asked, raising his science wand.

"uHHH, mAYBE IT WAS A GHOST OR SOMETHING," Tavros muttered.

"Don't 8e ridiculous," Vriska snorted.

"I am not a ghost. I am the Celestial Spirit King," The voice responded. The trolls glanced at each other in confusion.

"I Apologize, But We Are Not Familiar With That Term," Kanaya stated. The voice chuckled.

"I would not expect you to be, Old Friend. I come from another universe."

"OH CRAP," Karkat said. "DID WE SOMEHOW MANAGE TO FUCK UP ANOTHER UNIVERSE IN ADDITION TO THE ONE WE CREATED?"

"No," the king replied. "I simply came to tell you that we celestial spirits need your help to operate a series of tests we are formulating.

"4ND WH4T M4K3S YOU TH1NK W3'LL JUST GO 4LONG W1TH TH4T?"

"If you participate, you will be able to create whatever challenge you desire the humans to go through and we will grant each of you one request."

"WAIT JUST A SECOND. YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU ASK, YOU THINK I'M GOING TO TRY AND TEST SOME SILLY PINK MONKEY? OH HELL NO. THINK AGAIN. THERE IS NO WAY I'M GOING TO PUT UP WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF STUPID HUMANS. I ALREADY HAVE ENOUGH SHIT TO WORRY ABOUT."

"But it sounds so glubbing exciting," Feferi begged.

"I think this might actually help us t0 devel0p 0ur abilities," Aradia chimed in.

"WHY DOES EVERYONE GANG UP ON ME? DON'T YOU REMEMBER? WE HAVE TO WIN THE GAME SO IT DOESN'T DESTROY OUR WHOLE FUCKING UNIVERSE!"

"Do not worry about that," The king reassured. "This universe exists separate from your time-space continuum. You will be able to return to your universe at precisely the time you left."

"H3H3H3! 1 L1K3 H1S 1D34! 1T'LL B3 L1K3 4 V4C4T1ON!"

"I tHiNk We ShOuLd AlL uP aNd Do It."

"D I agree with the high b100d."

"*ac beams up at you* let's do it, karkitty!"

"I have nothing 8etter to do."

"Perhaps It Will Prove An Enriching Experience."

"II don't really care eiither way."

"I appr0ve."

"Wwhatevver."

"uHHH, sURE,,,"

"I'M SO GLUBBING E-XCIT—ED!"

"I HATE YOU ALL." The trolls disappeared in a flash of light.

~~~~~Back to the plot~~~~~

Erza slashed at the door with her sword, but it still wouldn't open.

"How are we supposed to do this gauntlet if we can't even start?" Gray asked. Lucy though for a moment and strode forward towards the door.

"Open, Gate of the Crab Palace!" she shouted. Her team mates looked at her like she had lost her mind, but the doors glowed with a golden light and slid open with a groan. The team had to shield their eyes from the light.

"WHAT DO YOU FUCKASSES WANT?"

**A/N: Hooray for plot bunnies! No seriously, this idea popped into my head while I was on a plane and I made a fanfic out of it, sort of... so yeah. Anyways, all the trolls will be involved, even though Lucy doesn't have all the keys. Oh, and I haven't read Fairy Tail in a while, so I'm sorry if the characters are OOC... *sweatdrops***

**Anywho, please review and tell me if you like the story and think it should be continued~ Constructive criticism is appreciated, but please no outright flaming. Thanks~ :D**


	2. Chapter 2: Trial of the Crab

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all your reviews! You're all so awesome! Anyways, to address some confusion that may have occured, I have a needlessly long author's note at the bottom. On with the story!**

**Discliaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Homestuck.**

Chapter 2: Trial of the Crab

"WELL?" The figure demanded, glaring down the shocked guild members. Erza snapped out of her daze and immediately attempted to determine the "troll's" abilities and strength. The troll was young looking, about 15-16 years old, had gray skin and short, nubby yellow and orange horns. His arms were crossed and he seemed to have a perpetual scowl on his face. His hair was jet black, his teeth were pointed and he wore a black T-shirt with a gray symbol for Cancer along with baggy gray pants and black shoes.

"We're here to complete the gauntlet," Erza stated, trying not to upset the troll, but warily gauging him. He appeared weaponless, but she didn't like the look of his pointed teeth and sharp nails. The troll seemed to scowl deeper, if possible.

"OH SO YOU'RE THE ONES THAT CELESTIAL DOUCHE WAS TALKING ABOUT," he snarled, glaring at the mages. "I WAS SUPPOSED TO GIVE YOU A FORMAL BRIEFING BECAUSE I'M THE FIRST TROLL YOU'LL ENCOUNTER, BUT THAT'S A PAIN IN THE ASS." He ran a hand through his dark black hair and let out an exasperated noise.

"If you could just give us a brief overview, that would be appreciated," Lucy said, attempting to appeal to the troll. He muttered to himself for a few minutes before sighing in defeat.

"FINE, BUT LISTEN UP, FUCKASSES, BECAUSE I'M ONLY GOING TO SAY THIS ONCE. MY FELLOW TROLLS AND I WERE ALL BROUGHT HERE BY THE GRUB SUCKING CELESTIAL KING TO TEST YOU. WE GIVE YOU CHALLENGES AND, IF YOU COMPLETE THEM, YOU GET YOUR DOOR OPENING UTENSIL OR WHATEVER BACK. HAVE YOU GOT YOUR HUMAN TIME JUDGING WRIST APPAREL?" He stared at them expectantly, while they looked back with confused expressions.

"Time judging wrist apparel?" Gray asked, confused. The troll rolled his eyes and facepalmed (x2 combo!).

"WHAT DO YOU FUCKING CALL THEM? WATCHES? WHAT A STUPIDASS NAME." The mages all glanced down at their wrists to see that they were, indeed, wearing watches.

"Woah, when did these get there?" Natsu cried, attempting to pry it off. When that didn't work, he let out an exasperated huff and started gnawing on it. Gray rolled his eyes.

"Ignore him. He's an idiot." Natsu stopped biting the metal band of the watch so he could glare at the ice mage.

"WHATEVER," the troll said, uninterested in the underlying hostility. "ANYWAYS, THE TIME JUDGING WRIST APPAREL WILL DISPLAY WHAT THE CHALLENGE FOR EACH TROLL IS BEFORE YOU CAN ADVANCE. ALSO, YOU WILL RECEIVE A "KEY" FOR THE COMPLETION OF EACH CHALLENGE, BUT YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CALL YOUR CELESTIAL SPIRITS UNTIL THE GAUNTLET IS OVER."

"Wait!" Lucy said, holding up her hands. "Why do I get my keys if my spirits don't come back? How am I supposed to fight without them?" Whatever shred of patience the gray skinned being had been holding snapped when this questions was asked.

"HOW THE FUCK SHOULD I KNOW? I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT A FUCKING CELESTIAL SPIRIT IS!" he raged. "I GOT WHISKED OFF THE FUCKING ASTEROID AND EVEN OUT OF THE FUCKING UNIVERSE I WAS IN SO I COULD TEST YOU STUPID WRIGGLERS, AGAINST MY WILL, I MIGHT ADD! I HAVE OTHER IMPORTANT SHIT I COULD AND SHOULD BE DOING! THE UNIVERSE I WAS IN IS SO FUCKED, IT'S JUST GOING TO END UP AS A SHITTY LITTLE SMEAR IN THE COSMOS! AND WHAT AM I DOING? I'M STUCK IN THIS ROOM WITH A BUNCH OF STUPID HUMANS COMPLAINING ABOUT HOW HARD THEIR LIVES ARE. WELL HERE'S A FUCKING NEWS FLASH. LIFE SUCKS. GET USED TO IT." The team just stared at the troll as he continued to rant about how this whole thing was a waste of his time and how everyone else was stupid as fuck and so on and so forth, bluh bluh bluh…

After twenty minutes of ranting, the troll was finally winding down due to exhaustion. The rant had consisted of many expletives, violent gestures, unfamiliar terms and raising of the middle finger. Lucy cleared her throat hesitantly.

"I'm very sorry that happened to you, er-?"

"KARKAT," the troll supplied, glaring at the mages.

"Yes, I'm sorry that happened to you Karkat. However, if you give us the challenge now, we can complete our gauntlet sooner and you can return to your universe sooner." The troll seemed to consider this.

"FINE. I GUESS THAT MAKES SENSE," he conceded. "MIGHT AS WELL GET THIS SHITTY TASK OVER WITH."

"So what's the challenge?" Natsu grinned, punching his fist into his open palm. He looked ready for a fight.

"I ACTUALLY DON'T HAVE A CHALLENGE PLANNED," Karkat admitted, almost sheepishly.

"What?" Lucy cried.

"How are we supposed to get through this if you don't have a challenge?" Gray asked, irritated.

"SHUT UP. I'M THINKING," Karkat responded, turning his back on the group and muttering to himself. The team sweatdropped.

Suddenly, all their watches started beeping. They looked down at the "time judging wrist apparel" to see a message flash over the face of the watch.

"Challenge: Make the troll touch a common item of your choice." The mages glanced at each other, confused.

"I thought the troll said he didn't have a challenge," Natsu said, scratching his head in confusion.

"Maybe if they don't have a challenge, the King decides for them?" Erza speculated.

"Well, we have to choose a common item," Gray said.

"Gray, your clothes."

"Dammit!"

"Anyways," Lucy began. "What item should we choose?" The watch beeped again.

"Item decided: Bucket."

"Looks like we weren't fast enough," Erza sighed. "The King sure is impatient." The air next to Lucy's feet shimmered and a bucket appeared by her side.

"So we just have to make him touch a bucket?" Natsu asked, disappointed he wouldn't get to fight.

"Seems straight forward enough," Erza nodded. She grabbed the bucket and strode forward to tap the troll on the shoulder. "We can complete our challenge if you just touch this." She held the bucket out in front of her.

"BUT I DON'T HAVE A CHALLENGE," Karkat said, turning around. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU- OH MY GOG WHAT IS THAT?!" he bared his fangs and backed away from the outstretched bucket. "WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU EVER THRUST THAT DISGUSTING RECEPTACLE IN FRONT OF YOU, OH NO DON'T COME ANY CLOSER WITH THAT I SWEAR, I WILL KILL YOU!"

"I don't get it," Gray muttered. "What's wrong with that bucket?" Karkat was still snarling at Erza who continued to advance on him.

"OH MY GOG, STOP WALKING TOWARDS ME! IS THIS SOME KIND OF SICK HUMAN PRANK? PUT THAT HORRIFYING BULGE JUICE ENCRUSTED RECEPTACLE AWAY! I WILL NEVER TOUCH THAT! GATHER WHATEVER WISPS OF THOUGHT YOU CAN AND GET IT IN YOUR THINK PAN THAT I WOULD NOT TOUCH THAT THING WITH A NINETY FOOT CULLING ROD! STOP BEFORE I RIP OUT YOUR OCULAR SPHERES AND SHOVE THEM DOWN YOUR PROTEIN CHUTE!"

"For God's sake," Erza muttered, attempting to trap the troll. He kept eluding her grasp, all the while hissing curses and threats. "Alright, I've had enough." She darted forward and grabbed the troll by the wrist, only to suddenly jump backwards as if he had struck her.

Gray and Natsu were suddenly on guard. "What's wrong, Erza?" Lucy asked. Erza didn't respond, but wiped a thin line of blood from her cheek, breathing heavily with eyes locked on the troll. The mages looked back at Karkat, who was scowling and clutched a purple and green sickle in each hand, one of which was tinted slightly red.

"I WILL NEVER VOLUNTARILY TOUCH THAT OBSCENE OBJECT," he snarled, raising his weapons.

"Where did those come from?!" Natsu muttered, his fists bursting into flames.

"I'm not sure," Gray replied, tightening his stance. "I'm pretty sure he was unarmed when we entered!" Erza rolled her eyes.

"We will get through this gauntlet," she announced, almost as a challenge, and charged the troll. Karkat attempted to swing his sickles at her, but she was too fast. She ducked his initial blows and then, with an odd gleam in her eyes, hurled the bucket with as much force as she could muster directly into his face.

"OH GOG, GET THIS OFF ME!" Karkat yelled, falling to the ground and flailing about. "THAT WAS UNDOUBTEDLY THE MOST FUCKING REPULSIVE THING I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED IN MY LIFE!" All the mages felt themselves sweatdrop as the troll continued yelling at the top of his lungs and breaking the sound barrier.

"Maybe it's like their weakness or something," Lucy muttered. Gray shrugged while Natsu (reluctantly) doused his flames.

"For some reason I don't think we'll be so lucky that we can just charge through all the chambers with a bucket thrust in front of us," Gray responded. Natsu was nearly in tears laughing at Karkat, who was still raging on the ground.

Unexpectedly, the room seemed to explode with golden light. It appeared as though the light came from the walls themselves. The mages all had to shield their eyes once again.

"I'm getting real sick of this," muttered Gray, attempting to blink spots out of his eyes. When the light faded, a golden key with the Cancer symbol was left in Karkat's place.

"I guess that's it?" Lucy said uncertainly, striding forward to grab the key. The guild mates looked at each other and shrugged before heading towards another set of doors on the other side of the chamber.

Lucy looked confused. "I thought the troll said I wouldn't get my celestial spirits back."

"Maybe Karkat was mistaken," Erza said.

"He didn't look very stable either," Natsu grinned.

"What gate is this, Lucy?" Erza asked, attempting to discern what the next zodiac sign was. It looked like a circle with a curved tail. Lucy looked up at the symbol and smiled sadly.

"Open, Gate of the Lion Palace!"

":33 *ac looks up curiously* oh? visitors? I'm so purrleased to m33t you!"

~~~~~A Few Chambers Further Down~~~~~

Gamzee wandered around his chamber with a glazed look on his face.

"Aw MaN. i'Ve BeEn StUcK iN hErE fOr So MoThErFuCkInG lOnG…" He continued aimlessly circling around the room. "AnD i CaN't FiNd AnY pIe… HeY kInG bRo… CoUlD yOu SpArE sOmE sOpOr PiE? I kNoW yOu HaVe SoMe…" There was no response. Gamzee started getting impatient. There was a dull throbbing in the back of his think pan.

Twenty minutes later his head was pounding so hard that even his eyes ached. "KING BRO. give me some pie. ACTUALLY NEVER MIND. pie just rusts your think pan. MY HEAD HURTS. it hurts. HONK. honk. HONK. hahahahaha…" :O)

**A/N: Bluh, bluh... That was actually a fun chapter to write... *just wanted to have Karkat hit with a bucket* ehehehe... **

**So here we go with the long a/n, courtesy of my shitty writing skills in the last chapter, and just some other things I want to clarify. **

**Q. Why does Karkat say fuckass if it's Jade's term and why did Nepeta call him Karkitty?**

**A. The latter is due to the fact that I forgot that Nepeta doesn't use the term "Karkitty" canonically. The former is because I like the word fuckass. It's fun to have him say. :/**

**Q. So where are the trolls on the timeline?**

**A. A very good question. They're pretty much where homestuck is now, I guess. Except, ya know. They're all alive. So the trolls know about the humans and dream bubbles and junk. I used the term "middle" as more of an expression than an actual indicator of where in the timeline the trolls were.**

**Q. Wait, they can't all be alive! Hussie killed off *insert troll here* in Homestuck!**

**A. Yes. Yes, he did. But they are alive now because... because I said so. XP *doesn't really have an explanation* Just pretend it's some point in the timeline when all the trolls are alive... Perhaps before Gamzee enters murder mode or whatever. **

**Q. So are the humans gonna show up?**

**A. As much as I love them, they probably won't make an appearance. I might mention them in passing or something like that. **

**That's all for now! Please review so I can be a better writer! :D**


	3. Chapter 3: Trial of the Lion

**Disclaimer: I don't own Homestuck or Fairytail.**

Chapter 3: Trial of the Lion

The team was rather taken aback by the troll's appearance. She looked younger than the other troll, wore an oversized green jacket, black t-shirt with the Leo symbol and gray pants, but that wasn't the weirdest part. The girl also appeared to be wearing the furs of some unknown blue creature as a hat and footwear, and a tail had been sewn to the back of her pants. Oblivious to the guild member's shock, she continued speaking excitedly to them.

":33 I was wondering when someone would show up!" she exclaimed. ":33 how many of my furiends have you met?"

"Did she just make a cat pun?" Natsu questioned under his breath. Gray just shrugged in response, still slightly at a loss. Lucy managed to grasp the situation first and reply to the oddly excitable troll.

"We've only been in one chamber before this one," she explained. "The other troll was a little taller than you and he really liked swearing." She tried to think of any other distinguishing features of the Cancer troll.

The Leo troll frowned and thought hard. ":33 Do you know anything else? A lot of my furiends enjoy swearing…" The rest of the team sweatdropped at this.

"He had a symbol that looked like this," Erza stated, pulling out her sword and carving a shaky Cancer symbol into the wall.

At this, the female troll's eyes lit up and she grinned widely, exposing sharp teeth. ":33 Oh, you've met Karkat!" she exclaimed, bouncing up and down.

"Yes…" Lucy said, trying to calm down the troll. "And perhaps we could know your name as well?"

":33 *ac looks horrified at her own actions* where are my manners?!" she gasped. ":33 my name is Nepeta Leijon!~"

"Anyways," Gray started, impatient to get pleasantries out of the way. "Shouldn't we get a task or something?"

":33 Of course!" Nepeta beamed. She raced over to the wall on the other side of the room. ":33 I wrote it down somewhere over here…" she began looking through the wall's various drawings. The guild members glanced at each other and went over to give the wall a closer look.

"Did you draw all these?" Lucy asked, running her fingers over a grid that contained images of a heart, diamond, spade and club.

Nepeta looked up and grinned. ":33 *ac nods furiously*"

"Why do you do that?" Gray asked bluntly.

":33 *ac tilts her head in confusion* do what?"

"That!" Gray exclaimed. "Like, talking about your actions! And who or what is 'ac'?"

Nepeta's eyes lit up in realization. ":33 Oh, it's beclaws of my typing quirk! The 'ac' part is my troll tag, arsenicCatnip."

"Typing quirk?" Erza asked, looking up from a drawing of three trolls around a club.

":33 Like on a husktop?" Nepeta said slowly, frowning as the humans didn't seem to recognize the term. The troll let out a sigh, dismissing the topic. ":33 Anyways, all of us," she pointed to the drawings of trolls. ":33 have a typing quirk that comes out in our sp33ch. Though sometimes it isn't noticeable."

Gray tried to understand what she was talking about. "You mean that foul mouthed troll in the other room had one? He was just talking normally, though a bit louder than necessary."

":33 *ac beams in amusement* Karkat types in all caps so he's pawlways yelling!" she stated. The guild collectively grimaced at the thought of the last troll's obnoxious sound level.

"These trolls that you draw," Erza began. "Are they your friends?"

":33 yep!" Nepeta walked over to examine the drawing Erza was looking at that consisted of two trolls with a diamond hanging over their heads. ":33 That one is me," she said, pointing to the one that resembled herself. ":33 The other is my meowrail, Equius!" she tapped the drawing of the other troll who looked somewhat frightening.

"What's a 'meowrail'?" Lucy asked, curious about troll culture.

":33 Well-" Nepeta began, only to be suddenly interrupted by a loud crashing noise that made the room's occupants drop to the floor and cover their ears. After a few minutes, their ears stopped ringing and they all got warily to their feet.

"What the heck was that?" Natsu growled, looking around for an intruder.

"I believe the Celestial Spirit King just wants us to get on with the task," Lucy answered. She turned to face the troll. "Can you give us our task now?"

":33 *ac sighs* I liked talking, but I guess I can…" she stated disappointedly. ":33 Your task is to…" The troll glanced back at the wall for reference. ":33 Figure out which one of my furiends you will m33t next and also find all their ships on the wall!"

The team's watches beeped. "Task: troll identification."

"What do we do first?" Gray muttered, looking at the disorganized charts on the wall in confusion.

"We should figure out what the next troll's sign is," Erza stated matter-of-factly. She nodded towards the door to the next chamber.

Natsu was already at the door, squinting up at the horoscope sign above the entryway. "It looks like an 'M' with a tail," he said, jogging back to his guild mates.

"Is it… Scorpio?" Lucy asked, recalling the symbol that appeared on her Celestial Spirit's belt.

"We should try to find a matching symbol on the wall." Erza reasoned, striding back over to Nepeta's drawings.

"These things go all the way up the wall," Gray frowned. "How did she even manage to draw all the way up there?" He made himself some ice stairs to glance at the top drawings, combing through them to find the sign. "Found one!" he yelled down to his guild mates.

"What's the other troll's sign?" Lucy yelled back.

Gray struggled to see the sign on the drawing. "I can't really tell. It kind of looks like a circle with two lines sticking out of the top… the other troll has huge horns like a bull if that helps."

"A bull?" Lucy muttered. "Sounds like Taurus."

"What is the symbol that represents the relationship?" Erza yelled up.

"A spade!" Gray said, lowering himself back to the ground.

"Are there any more drawings we need?" Lucy wondered, examining the wall.

"Hey guys!" Natsu yelled, a few feet away. "The symbol's also over here!" The team raced over to where the dragon slayer was standing.

"Looks like you're good for something after all," Gray muttered, looking at the image.

"What was that you-?!"

"Boys," Erza said coldly, shutting them up. She went back to examining the drawing next to Lucy.

"The signs are Scorpio, Libra and Virgo," Lucy said. "Why are there three?"

"Perhaps it's because of the club?" Erza said, pointing to the black symbol. Lucy nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's just get to the next chamber already!" Natsu grumbled, stomping back over to Nepeta. The troll was drawing various symbols on the ground by her feet using some very sharp claws attached to her gloves.

"Where'd those weapons come from?" Erza said, hand twitching towards her sword.

":33 *ac looks up and puts claws away* Nya?" she grinned. As soon as the troll had finished speaking, the claws disappeared.

"Woah!" Gray jerked back from the troll as if she was about to attack them. Nepeta frowned.

":33 I just put my claws back in my strife specibus…?" She said, looking around.

"Right…" Lucy said, warily staring at the troll. "Anyways, we have what you asked for."

":33 That's pawsitively fabulous!" Nepeta squealed, forgetting about how uncomfortable the humans were a minute before. ":33 So who is the next troll?"

"The sign was Scorpio," Lucy said, drawing the symbol in midair with her finger. Nepeta nodded, encouraging her to continue. "And the drawings said that she was in a spades relationship with Taurus and a clubs relationship with Virgo and Libra."

The troll giggled. ":33 That's all correct!" The guild members sighed with relief. "I knew that they'd be in blackrom! I called it so many sweeps ago!"

"Forgive me for asking," Erza said, interrupting the girl's celebrating. "But are these charts representations of relationships in your society?"

":33 Of claws they are! The heart and diamond are redrom, mainly pawsitive f33lings, and the spade and club are blackrom, mainly negative f33lings!" Before the troll could continue explaining the intricacies of the relationship quadrants, the room was flooded with a bright white light. As soon as it was over, Nepeta was gone and all that was left was a golden key where she had been standing.

Lucy strode over to the key and picked it up, examining the symbol. "Just like the last one," she muttered, pocketing the Leo key. "I don't understand why I have these if I can't use them."

"Perhaps you should try using one, just to test it out," Erza said, thinking hard. "They wouldn't give them back to you without a reason." Lucy nodded, drawing out a key.

"Open! Gate of the Crab Palace!" Lucy commanded, watching the key glow with a golden light.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" a gratingly loud voice yelled.

"Not him again," Natsu growled, baring his teeth at the foultempered troll.

"I'M JUST AS THRILLED AS YOU ARE TO BE HERE," Karkat spat, crossing his arms. "I THOUGHT THAT MY TASK WAS DONE ONCE I GUIDED YOU ASSHOLES THROUGH THE DOOR BUT NO. I'M STILL STUCK HERE WITH YOU INCOMPETENT WRIGGLERS."

Lucy rubbed her temples to stop her headache as Natsu and Gray began arguing with the troll. She sighed as she glanced at the door to the next chamber, hoping the troll wasn't too crazy.

~~~~~In another universe~~~~~

EB: hey dave?

TG: what

EB: i think something might be wrong.

TG: why

EB: well, vriska hasn't contacted me in a while

TG: look im sure shes just busy or whatever im not sure why youre worried about her

EB: well, she's helped me out a few times

TG: whatever you say bro im sure shell turn up eventually

EB: i guess youre right

TG: im always right

ectoBiologist [EB] has ceased pestering turntechGodhead [TG].

**A/N: I know, short stupid chapter... Nepeta's hard to write for, okay? :/ Yeah so maybe all the characters are OOC... well, since there wasn't really any action, it was complicated to write for Natsu and Gray because they're all about fighting and action. So, once again, sorry for any and all OOC-ness. I haven't really read Fairytail in a while and Hussie's on a longass hiatus so...**

**Anyways, Please review! :D Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/followed/favorited this story so far! :D**


	4. Chapter 4: Trial of the Scorpion

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Homestuck.**

Chapter 4: Trial of the Scorpion

"Close, Gate of the Crab Palace!" Lucy commanded, jabbing her key at the scowling troll.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?" Karkat asked, rolling his eyes. "ARE YOU TRYING TO INTIMIDATE ME WITH THAT SHITTY EXCUSE FOR A STABBING WEAPON? THIS IS PATHETIC."

"Why won't he go back in his gate?" Lucy muttered, glaring at the grey-skinned being.

"BECAUSE I DON'T FUCKING FEEL LIKE IT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH," Karkat growled.

Lucy gritted her teeth. "Forced closure!" she yelled, releasing her magic at full force. She heard the troll let out a long string of profanities as he was sucked backwards into a glowing golden gate.

"WHAT THE FU-?" The gate doors slammed shut, cutting off his cursing, and faded into nothingness. Lucy collapsed a second later, exhausted from releasing so much magic, and Erza managed to catch her right before she hit the floor.

"Well, at least we know not to use that key again," Erza muttered, glaring at the golden key that twinkled innocently on Lucy's belt.

"Thank god that ass is gone," Gray muttered, trying to get the ringing in his ears to stop. "A few more minutes and I would have gone deaf." Natsu finally let his hands fall to his side; they had been clamped tightly over his sensitive ears.

"Tch," he muttered. "When I see him again, I'll punch him right in his mouth."

"We should move on," Erza said to Lucy. "The sooner we complete this gauntlet, the better." Everyone silently agreed with that statement. If all the trolls were like the previous two…

Lucy steadied herself on her feet and looked up at the symbol over the doors. "Open, Gate of the Scorpion Palace!" The doors made a rough screeching noise as they slid over the stones. When the group peered through the gates, all they could see was pitch black darkness.

Natsu bounded through the door first, using his hand as a makeshift torch. "I don't see anything!" he yelled, sounding disappointed.

The other members warily followed the dragon slayer into the dark room. As soon as Erza, who was bringing up the rear, stepped through the doorway, the doors swung shut behind her. The knight immediately brought her sword down on the doors, but didn't even scratch the wood. She frowned and gave her team mates a look that said, 'Be on your guards.' They warily walked deeper into the chamber. Natsu's fire only illuminated the gray stones of the floors and walls; the room appeared completely empty.

Gray grunted when he suddenly tripped over something large and rectangular, sending him crashing to the floor. The rest of the group whirled around to find the cursing ice mage flat on his back. The sight of the mage in such an undignified position made Natsu howl with laughter, while the other two struggled to hide their smiles.

"What's the matter, Grey?" the fire mage taunted. "You get beat up by a ghost?"

"I tripped over something!" Grey yelled back defensively.

"Suuuuuure," Natsu grinned, drawing out the word to show he didn't believe him.

"I did!" Grey huffed. "It's right over… where'd it go?" He looked around to see whatever object he'd tripped over was gone. "I swear I tripped over something…" he muttered, looking at the spot with confusion.

The dragon slayer just rolled his eyes while smirking. "Just admit you tripped over nothing."

"I didn't!" Grey snarled. "There was a box or something!"

"Was not."

"Was so."

"Was not."

"Was so!"

"Enough!" Erza commanded, glaring at them. "In case you two have forgotten, we have a task to complete." The two mages were sweating bullets under the knight's gaze and started apologizing profusely.

"Where even is this troll?" Lucy asked, glancing around in the darkness.

"Natsu," Erza said, making the dragon slayer's head snap up from his apology. "Light the room." He nodded vigorously and sent a blaze around the edges of the room, lighting up the whole chamber.

The guild mates blinked at the sudden light, but when their vision cleared the room still looked completely empty except for a small chest in the corner.

"That's what I tripped over!" Grey said, pointing at the box.

"But you tripped right there and the box is all the way over there," Natsu snickered, pointing at the two spots which were a good twenty feet from each other.

"Someone moved it then," Grey said, crossing his arms. Lucy rolled her eyes while Erza slammed the boy's heads together.

"Stop bickering over nonsense," she ordered.

"Yes ma'am," the two muttered, clutching their injuries. While the boys waited for the pain to leave, Erza and Lucy headed towards the chest.

"Does it need a key?" Lucy asked, checking for a lock. Erza shrugged and pried at the top, managing to open it with some effort. The two peered into the box to find a note written in blue ink on a small slip of paper.

_This is your task: 8eat me in a game of luck! 8ut I don't think you'll 8e a8le to ::::)_

The girl's watches beeped and they looked down. "Task: Test of Luck."

"So what do we have to do to test our luck?" Erza asked, looking around the chamber for something they might have missed.

"Well, I'm so glad you asked!" a female voice yelled, causing all the guild members to look for the source of the voice. A figure dropped down from its hiding place on the ceiling of the chamber to land with a loud _thwam!_ in front of Natsu and Grey.

Erza eyed the girl troll up and down. She wore a gray coat over her black shirt with the Scorpio sign, blue pants and red sneakers. She had orange horns like the other trolls the team had encountered, but instead of being symmetrical, one was shaped like the end of a harpoon and the other was reminiscent of a claw. The weirdest things about her, however, were the eye patch she wore over her left eye and the robot prosthetic she had in place of her left arm. The troll grinned at all of them as if she had something awful planned for them.

"Who are you?" Erza asked cautiously, wondering if the robot arm could be used as a weapon. It was a high possibility.

The troll rolled her eyes, er- eye, at the question, almost as if it wasn't worth answering. "I don't see why it matters," she said irritably. "8ut my name is Vriska Serket. How do you not know that 8y now? You've pro8a8ly already talked to a lot of other trolls."

"Actually," Lucy said. "You're only the third troll we've talked to."

"Wait," the troll said, her head snapping around. "You mean I'm not num8er eight?"

"No?" Lucy answered hesitantly.

"WH8T TH8 H8LL?" Vriska yelled at the top of her lungs. "I HAVE TO 8E NUM8ER EIGHT!"

"Wait," Lucy said trying to calm the girl down, to no avail.

"THIS IS UNACCEPTA8LE! I REFUSE TO 8E ANYTHING OTHER THAN NUM8ER EIGHT! GET DOWN HERE YOU STUPID CELESTIAL DOUCHE AND MAKE ME EIGHTH!"

"Actually, we already have a task from you," Grey muttered, pointing at his watch. The troll girl crossed her arms and glared at the ice mage.

"No. I'm not doing it. Find someone else."

"Great," Natsu muttered. "She's even more useless than that yelling dude. Uh, Karat?"

"Karkat," Lucy answered. Vriska's head snapped up and a slow grin crept onto her face.

"You've met Karkat?" she asked.

"Yes," Erza answered. "I don't see how that's relevant."

"Don't worry a8out it," Vriska said, smirking widely. "I just have another iron in the fire. You need a task, right?" The humans all nodded, not liking how the troll's personality seemed to do an immediate 180. "Okay, so here's what we're going to do. We'll play roul8 with the Hammer of Zillyhoo!" She pulled a very odd looking hammer out of thin air.

"Woah, how do you guys do that?!" Natsu gasped, trying to grab the hammer from the troll. She managed to fend him off with her robot arm.

"What are you talking a8out? I just pulled it out of my sylladex," she growled. "Anyways, we all get a turn at the hammer and whoever rolls all eights first wins. Ready?" Vriska swung the hammer at the ground and managed to get all of them to roll eights except for one that got a five. She huffed and handed the hammer to Lucy.

Lucy hesitantly grabbed the multicolored handle and hit the hammer on the ground, rolling five eights, a six and two threes. She frowned at the hammer and wondered how the contraption worked. The troll girl just shook her head and said that Lucy's luck was abysmal.

Vriska took the hammer back and swung again, rolling all eights except for a single dice with a six showing. "Looks like my luck is improving," the troll said with a shark tooth grin. "Who's next?" She handed the hammer over to Natsu.

"Alright!" the dragon slayer grinned, hitting the ground with all his might and cracking the stone. The dice showed six eights, a seven and a six. The girl nodded approvingly.

"Looks like he's the luckiest out of you all," she grinned, swinging the hammer and getting seven eights and a seven on her roll. "Looks like my next roll will win it. Anyone want to see if they can 8eat me?"

"Give me the hammer," Natsu said, grinning. "I'll get it this time!"

"No way!" Grey said, shoving the fire mage out of the way. "It's my turn, flame brain!" The boys began wrestling each other for the hammer, both of them gripping it so hard that Lucy feared it would break.

"Give me the hammer now!" Erza said grabbing the striped handle, while Lucy tried to help her tug it out of the boy's grips. With all four guild mates grabbing the handle, the hammer hit the ground, by some strange twist of luck, rolling all eights.

"T-That's impossi8le!" Vriska stammered, glaring at the Hammer of Zillyhoo in outrage. "I never lose in games of luck! N8V8R!" She was still yelling when she disappeared in a flash of light, leaving behind a key.

"Dang, I forgot to ask her!" Natsu said, scrambling to his feet.

"Ask her what?" Lucy inquired, also getting up.

"She was supposed to be Scorpio, right?" he asked seriously.

"Yes…" Lucy replied, wondering where he was going with this.

"So why was she obsessed with spiders and not scorpions?" There was a very long, awkward pause.

"How do you know she was obsessed with spiders?" Erza said, adding her voice to the conversation.

"Well, she was hanging from the ceiling like a spider," Natsu explained.

"That doesn't mean she's obsessed with spiders," Grey said, rolling his eyes.

"She could be!" Natsu retorted.

"I don't think so," Grey answered coolly.

"You just like disagreeing with me," Natsu growled, glaring at the ice mage.

"That's because you're always wrong."

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!"

"BOYS."

"We're sorry!"

~~~~~In the next chamber~~~~~

"i HEAR NOISE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR,,," a voice muttered. "dOES THAT MEAN I'M NEXT?"

~~~~~In another universe~~~~~

ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering tentacleTherapist [TT]:

EB: hey rose

TT: Yes, John?  
EB: have you had any contact with the trolls recently?

TT: I cannot say that I have.

EB: yeah i've been talking to dave and he says the same thing.

TT: That is a bit worrying. Kanaya has not spoken to me in quite some time.

EB: vriska has been gone too. do you think jade has talked to any of them?

TT: I'll go and pester her after this conversation.

EB: okay. i get the feeling that something weird is going on. maybe the trolls need rescuing or something! what if they're in danger?!

TT: Don't get too ahead of yourself, John. These trolls are a fickle bunch. Perhaps they will contact us in due time.

EB: you're right, i guess. contact me if jade has anything.

TT: Alright.

ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering tentacleTherapist [TT].

**A/N: I'm baaaaaaaack! (Yes, there are eight a's). After a long time on various escapades resulting in hilarious shenanigans and all manners of tomfoolery, I have returned to fanfiction! Woo-hoo!**

**Anyways, this chapter was fun, yet challenging because I find Vriska to be kind of a complicated character. She's usually smirking and manipulative, but she is also prone to lose her shit (pardon my French) in fits of rage. Hm... I hope I managed to pull it off.**

**So please review! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/followed/favorited so far! You guys are my inspiration to keep writing!~**


	5. Chapter 5: Trial of the Golden Bull

**Disclaimer: I don't own Homestuck or Fairy Tail.**

Chapter 5: Trial of the Golden Bull

The doors creaked open to yet another stone chamber. Thankfully, the guild members didn't have to go hunting for this troll; he was sitting in the middle of the chamber and fiddling nervously. The mages looked around the room for a clue of what the challenge might be. They heard a low humming noise, but nothing else was apparent.

The troll was sitting in a wheeled device and was wearing a black T-shirt with the Taurus sign on it, black jeans and sandals. His hair was styled into a Mohawk, but what really caught their attention were the huge horns he had attached to his head. They were obviously bull horns and would've been extremely intimidating had the troll stopped muttering how hard dealing with them could be.

The troll looked up from whatever he was doing when they entered and gave them a shy smile. "uH,,, MY NAME IS TAVROS AND I'LL BE GIVING YOU YOUR NEXT CHALLENGE,,," the troll muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"Did the Celestial Spirit King say anything to you before he sent you here?" Lucy asked, desperate for any information Tavros might have on the gauntlet they'd been forced to participate in.

The troll looked startled but shook his head negatively, forcing Natsu and Gray to dodge his horns as they jerked around. "sORRY, BUT I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THIS PLACE, sOLLUX AND KANAYA MIGHT KNOW SOMETHING THOUGH,,," he replied.

"Who are they?" Erza asked, frowning at the foreign names.

"uH, i GUESS YOU HAVEN'T MET THEM YET THEN,,," Tavros said, sighing. "wHO HAVE YOU MET SO FAR?"

"The first guy was really annoying," Natsu said quickly, cutting off Lucy before she could start. "The second troll was obsessed with drawing things on the wall and the last chamber was this weird spider girl."

The gray-skinned troll seemed to pale a few shades. "d-dID YOU SAY SPIDERS? wAS THE LAST PERSON NAMED VRISKA?" Tavros' eyes darted around helplessly. "s-sHE'S NOT HERE, IS SHE?"

"No, she turned into this key," Lucy said, holding up the key for Scorpio. Unexpectedly, the troll flinched away from Lucy.

"i'LL GIVE YOU YOUR CHALLENGE, JUST DON'T BRING HER HERE!" Tavros yelled, beginning to wheel his device in the opposite direction of Lucy.

"Calm down!" Lucy said hastily, starting to panic. She quickly shoved the key back on her key ring and out of sight. "Look, I won't bring her out. Promise."

"fINE," Tavros said, staring at the celestial wizard warily. "yOUR CHALLENGE IS TO RETRIEVE THE PASSCODE FROM MY LUSUS, hE'S HIDDEN AMONG SOME ILLUSIONS OF HIM I HAD THE CELESTIAL SPIRIT KING MAKE,,,"

The team's watches beeped. "Task: Lusus capture and retrieval of passcode."

"What the hell is a lusus?" Gray asked, staring around the empty chamber. There was nothing in the room that was out of the ordinary.

"tRY LOOKING UP,,," Tavros said, giving them a crooked smile. The mages looked at each other uncertainly before glancing at the ceiling of the chamber.

"Woah! Look at all the bull-flies!" Natsu gasped, eyes widening. The humming noise from earlier revealed itself to be hundreds of small white creatures with a bull's head and an insect body.

"How are we ever going to find the right one?" Lucy said, beginning to despair at the thought of checking each one.

"Better get started," Erza said grimly, summoning her Queen of the Heavens armor and leaping into the air. She snagged one of the creatures midflight and dragged it down. Unfortunately, as soon as she grabbed the struggling bull creature, it disappeared in a puff of smoke. "The fake ones disintegrate on impact!" she yelled down to her team.

"Well, that simplifies things," Natsu grinned as he began summoning his magic. "Wings of the Fire Dragon!" He launched himself into the air and began slashing at the lusus.

"Ice Make: Spear!" Gray threw a large chunk of ice into the air, taking out ten fake bull creatures in one go. Meanwhile, Erza was continuing to hack and slash at the beasts, who attempted to dodge away from her swords.

"wOW,,, tHEY'RE REALLY VIOLENT,,," Tavros muttered, watching the guild members. Lucy decided to walk over to him, as she was stuck on the ground without her keys to help her.

"So what exactly is a lusus?" she asked the troll, attempting to make conversation.

"uH, wELL A LUSUS IS KIND OF LIKE EACH TROLL'S CARETAKER, wHEN WE ARE JUST LITTLE WRIGGLERS, INCAPABLE OF CARING FOR OURSELVES, THEY CARE FOR US AND, IN RETURN, WE CLEAN UP AFTER THEM," Tavros replied.

"Do they have names?" Lucy asked, intrigued.

"i CALLED MINE TINKERBULL, BUT HE DIED A WHILE AGO,,," Tavros said, eyes growing distant.

"I'm sorry," she said, sincerely meaning it. She could sympathize with the loss of a parental figure. Tavros gave her a weak smile and nodded. Lucy felt as though she should probably change the topic.

"What is your world like?" she asked, trying to keep up her usually optimistic personality.

"aLTERNIA? i DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO DESCRIBE IT,,," Tavros said. "kANAYA WOULD PROBABLY DO A BETTER JOB THAN ME,"

"That reminds me," Lucy began. "How many trolls are there?"

"wELL, tHERE ARE TWELVE OF US IN OUR 'SESSION', bUT THERE USED TO BE A LOT MORE TROLLS, yOU KNOW, bEFORE OUR UNIVERSE WAS DESTROYED,,," Lucy was thankfully saved from awkwardly responding to that when Natsu yelled that he'd found the correct lusus.

"What's the passcode then?" Gray asked, obviously disappointed that the fire wizard had beat him. Natsu pulled off a card that hung around the bull's neck.

"What the heck is this supposed to mean?" Natsu said, squinting at the card. Gray grabbed it from his hands.

"Let me see it flame brain," he growled. He started frowning. "What the heck does 't1CK' mean?"

"wAIT, HAVEN'T YOU MET VRISKA?" Tavros asked. "sHE WAS SUPPOSED TO GIVE YOU HER CODE TOO AND EXPLAIN IT."

"She never said anything about that," Lucy said, thinking back to their previous encounter.

"uH, wELL I'LL JUST DO IT THEN," Tavros said, sighing. "fOUR OF US TROLLS HAVE CODES THAT WE CAN GIVE TO YOU AND YOU'LL NEED THEM TO COMPLETE THE GAUNTLET, mY PIECE OF THE CODE IS 'T1CK', aRE YOU SURE VRISKA DIDN'T GIVE YOU ANYTHING?"

"When she turned into the key, all that was left of her chamber was the fluorite octet that popped out of the hammer," Erza said, pulling out the die.

"When did you find those?" Lucy asked.

"I saw them lying on the ground when we exited the last chamber," Erza replied, rolling the dice in her palm. "Wait, there's something written on them." She squinted. "I didn't see it before because I only glanced at them." Lucy took the dice from Erza and looked at them herself.

"The letters are only on four of the dice," She said, pulling them out.

"What do they say?" Gray asked, attempting to get a better look.

"8r8k?" Lucy wondered aloud.

"uH, i THINK YOU MEAN 'BREAK'," Tavros said quietly, causing the others to flinch. They'd forgotten he was there with the new revelation. The guild members suddenly whirled on him, making said troll jerk back in his chair.

"How do you know?" Erza questioned Tavros.

"yOU'VE BEEN TOLD ABOUT OUR TYPING QUIRKS, rIGHT? vRISKA ALWAYS USED A LOT OF 8'S IN HER SENTENCES,,," the troll replied. The mages all sweatdropped at this.

Suddenly, Tavros began to glow with a bright light. "w-wHAT'S GOING ON?!" he yelped, panicked. In a flash, he'd disappeared and a glimmering golden key was left in his place.

"We didn't get all the answers we needed yet," Erza muttered, frustrated. Lucy sighed and went to go retrieve the key.

"Well, at least we finally got some action in this boring place," Natsu said, excited that they'd finally had a physical challenge.

~~~~~The Next Chamber~~~~~

"I'm so glubbing bored wit)( all t)(is waiting…"

~~~~~In another universe~~~~~

ectoBiologist [EB] has opened chatroom WHAT THE HELL.

turntechGodhead [TG] entered the chatroom.

tentacleTherapist [TT] entered the chatroom.

TG: alright bro whats with the name of this chat

EB: sorry, that's all i could think of at the moment. i think it sums up our problems quite nicely.

TT: What are these "problems" you are referring to, John?

EB: the trolls! no one has heard from them in days!

TG: i thought we agreed that they were just off dicking around or doing whatever it is they do when they aren't bothering us

TT: Dave could be right this time.

TG: this time? i'm right all the time

TT: Please try to keep your overinflated ego in check, Dave.

EB: focus please! where is jade?

gardenGnostic [GG] has entered the chat.

GG: sorry I'm late! what's wrong?

EB: oh thank god you're here. have you heard from any of the trolls lately?

GG: no. karkat hasn't spoken to me in a while…

TG: well there goes that idea

TT: Jade, since you are the Witch of Space, could you possibly determine where the trolls might be located?

GG: i'll see what i can do, but i don't think the trolls are even in this universe anymore.

EB: what?!

GG: it's like they've disappeared.

TT: That is rather troubling.

TG: well it wasn't like they ever helped us anyways

EB: that's not true! vriska helped me get to god tier!

TG: so what theyre usually just pains in the ass

TT: Nevertheless, they might need our help now. Jade, is there any chance you can take us to their current location?

GG: i don't know. i usually need to have a clear idea of where i'm going or i'll just be jumping into random dimensions.

TG: you cant just follow their astral trails or whatever

GG: those don't exist!

TT: Please try to find any possible options. Their disappearance could mean something very bad is about to happen.

GG: i'll see what i can do but don't hold your breath.

gardenGnostic [GG] has left the chat.

TT: Are you satisfied, John?

EB: i guess. but we still need to figure out what happened to them.

TT: We'll just have to wait on Jade then. Hopefully she'll have some good news. Personally, I'm starting to miss talking to Kanaya.

tentacleTherapist [TT] has left the chat.

TG: i'll go check the other time loops for any clues later bro

turntechGodhead [TG] has left the chat.

ectoBiologist [EB] has closed chatroom: "WHAT THE HELL".

**A/N: Hi guys! Sorry I haven't been updating in a while... it's just that school and other things have kept me a bit preoccupied ^_^' anyways, looks like the plot is moving right along so... bonus. Oh right, I haven't read Fairy Tail in a while, so sorry if the characters are a bit OOC... I'll try and fix that in the next chapter. X(**

**I know I said earlier that the kids probably wouldn't be getting involved, but I might have to go back on my word... I know, I'm an awful person**

**So please leave a review! Tell me what you like/ hate/ have an idea for! Thanks to everyone that's left a review or followed/favorited this story! You guys motivate me to keep writing~**


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